Can we seriously be clocking in at the last week of September already? Three kids in three different schools is making me dizzy trying to keep it all straight. The paper alone can be suffucating that is for sure. I’ll definitely have to post on the strategies I’m using to manage it all but tool number one consists of the use of a very big garbage can :)

So last week’s dinner menu went well but boy did I veer off track a few times. We never did end up having the soup I’d planned so that will definitely go back on the menu this week. Potato soup is my daughter’s favorite and I’ve promised her this week for sure.

I did however make the Black Bean, Corn & Chicken Chili (on Thursday, rather than Tuesday!) and it was really good. The big hunks of tomato from the canned tomatoes didn’t go over too well with the kids so next time I would use the petite cut tomatoes to see if that makes a difference with them. The best part was watching my “slaves” work hard preparing dinner that day.

Have you got a bread machine hiding away in a cupboard? Why not pull it out and make the bread machine recipe linked above (or the one below), it is so good and your family will definitely think you are a ROCK STAR!!

Weekly Resource:

I also wanted to tell you about a fantastic Special Fall Bundle that Menu Planning Central is offering this week only ~ this special bundle for fall includes TWELVE ebooks as listed below for only $10.00!!

– All About Apples (Valued at $5.97) Who doesn’t love a fresh crisp apple this time of year! This e-book walks you through the various apples and their uses, the best way to buy apples, what to do if you end up with a ton of apples, delicious yummy apple recipes and much more.

– All About Pumpkins (Valued at $5.97) Pumpkins are great for both decorating and eating! Learn how to choose and store pumpkins, fun uses for pumpkins and of course delicious pumpkin recipes!

– Delicious Fall Recipes (Valued at $8.97) This resource includes 29 super fun and creative fall & Halloween recipes the whole family is sure to love – everything from Halloween Party Fondue, to Vampire Bat Stew, to Ghosts on a stick.

– Eat Whole Foods – For the Health of It (Valued at 12.97) Our family is working on cutting out a lot of processed foods. In this ebook I share what whole foods are, why they are important, info. on organics, how to eat whole foods on a budget and much more. If you are interested in learning more about whole foods – this is a great guide!

– Halloween Week Menu (Valued at $6.97) Halloween is often one of kids favorite holidays! How about making the entire week super fun! We have created a Halloween week dinner menu (with a grocery shopping list of course) to make it a fun food week your kids will never forget! (Don’t worry – these are super easy recipes that the entire family will enjoy!)

– Halloween Fun Recipes & Party Games (Valued at $5.97) Even more Halloween recipes and some great games to play at your Halloween Party. With this bundle you certainly won’t be at a loss for creative Halloween ideas!

– School Lunches Made Easy (Valued at $8.97) If you have school lunches to pack each day, this guide will be your new best friend! We’ll share quick easy lunch ideas, organization tips, and even printable charts to help you out!

– It’s Sleepover Party Time (Valued at $6.97) Sleepovers – so much fun for the kids, but sometimes a lot of work for the parents! This illustrated recipe resource takes you through a few of our very favorite sleepover recipes – step by step! Now feeding all those kids is taken care of!

– Slow Cooker Recipe Book (Valued at $14.97) I absolutely love using my slow cooker in the fall – the aroma of dinner drifts through the house all day, and feeding the family is a cinch come supper time! I have gathered up 54 pages of my favorite slow cooker recipes to share with you.

– Spooky & Fun Halloween Recipes (Valued at $5.97) Okay, maybe I went a little overboard on the Halloween Recipes – what can I say! There are so many yummy ideas!

– Seven Simple Steps to a Super Halloween Party (Valued at $7.97) Would you like to host a simple Halloween Party but you’re just not sure where to start? We’ve got you covered! We’ll walk you through 7 easy steps – Invitations, Decorations, Music, Food, Games & Activities, Crafts & Goodie Bags. With this resource the Halloween Party Stress will be gone!

– Thanksgiving Planned for You (Valued at $12.97) Are you hosting Thanksgiving this year? If so, we’ve done the work for you! We have prepared the menu, the shopping list, and the to-do list. Take a deep breath, follow our guide and know that this year you can actually enjoy the holiday!

Comments

My kids don’t like tomato chunks either. I usually omit them or mash them up so they will eat them in most recipes. I guess I shouldn’t be surprised. I’m not a big fan either. That is a great deal on resources, I’m off to check them out.

Not sure if you will see it at this point but thought I would respond just in case. I make sack lunches everyday for my 31 year-old pickier than any child I’ve ever met husband. Thank the good Lord above he will eat pb&j but I get tired of making the same thing over… and… oh sorry I got so bored thinking about it I nodded off. ;-)

Here are some alternatives: Kabobs- take anything your kid likes and skewer it on a stick. It makes it more fun! My husband likes salami, cherry tomatoes & cheddar cheese chunks

Wraps- take whatever your kid will eat in a sandwich and put it in a wrap roll it up and cut it into spirals. My husband like peanut butter mixed with a little greek yogurt spread on a tortilla with banana slices down the middle, I roll it up slice it and he has peanut butter & banana spirals. Might not work for you since your son doesn’t like pb&j but maybe it will help you think of something that your son would like…

Make your own Lunchables! Crackers + cheese + meat + a fun treat! Rubbermaid makes perfect containers for these. I think they are meant for sandwiches but it is the perfect amount of room for everything. I just keep things divided by using silicone cupcake liners. They keep the crackers from getting soggy!

Soup in a thermos! If you are lazy, like me, it can even come from a can! I have a thermos that can also be microwaved but I usually do the whole prep the thermos, heat the soup, put the soup in the heated thermos thing anyway to make it easier on the hubs.

Well I hope something here will help you… I know I have done other things I just can’t think of them…

Potato Soup is one of our family faves, along with taco soup, and I can’t wait for it to get a bit chillier here in NC to have soups simmering all day. With me hosting Tasty Tuesday each week, I have been negligent on linking up here, but really need to get organized again with posting my weekly meal plan, so I hope to make this a priority.

I could not live without my bread machine! I use it to make pizza dough, pretzel dough, all kinds of breads. I actually have not bought a loaf of bread in probably like 5-6 months. I do not use it bake the bread though only to make the dough. I prefer to use a bread pan and bake it in the oven.

I actually just posted today about a simple trick to cut homemade bread…because it can get real tricky trying to slice nice uniform slices.

Also, I cannot wait to read about your school paper mgt tricks. My dining room table is being taken over!

Thanks! Is that picture with the crockpot and bread machine yours? If so, I have the same crockpot. Cool :). Anyway, I am with you on the large garbage can for school papers. I am actually going to write a post for how I organize our school papers- 3 tools-a garbage can and two paper trays :). I can’t wait to see yours, too!

Yes that is my picture…my two favorite tools! :) I actually went and bought a fancy dancy programmable crockpot one time and ended up selling it because I didn’t like it. I like my simple three setting crockpot (warm, low, high) the best!

Yep, schools send out a lot of stuff- most of which ends up in recycling here as well. :-) I was going to wing it this week with a Chicken & chili soup, but I think I’ll use your link, since it’s already been tried out! Thanks- Jami

I’ve enjoyed participating in MPM for quite a while and have been meaning to ask/request…

is there a way to make the link-up fields larger?

trying to post the name of url is such a pain because you can’t see the whole field and something about the magic of the field it keeps trying to jump back to the beginning of the field, making it impossible to see if I have put a typo in at the end.

If it’s possible to extend the length (or change the “refocus” action) I would be soo soo greatful.

Hi Kendra, I will check that for next time, I’m really not sure. I did make the thumbnails bigger this time and am wondering what everyone thinks of that. There use to be 5 thumbnails across and today there are only four. What do you think?

I know they say so many people have a bread maker sitting in the cupboard unused but I use mine all the time. What can be better than throwing a few things in a machine and having fresh bread a few hours later? It’s great watching them work away!

I made the spud special soup last night with some homemade parmesan cream crackers (from the cooking channel). OH my, it was so delicious. I did add some precooked bacon to it when I added the milk but since my oldest isn’t crazy about bacon, the next time I make it I will crumble up bacon for a garnish. Thanks for sharing your menus. I come here everyday!!!